has also been instrumental in conveying the
science goals and results generated by these
projects.
In addition, Schwamb is being honored in
part for her efforts with Astronomy on Tap
and the recurring Twitter account Astrot-
weeps: Astronomy on Tap — a series of pop-
ular talks given by astronomers in bars and
pubs — brings the latest planetary science
and astronomy news and results directly
to the public in a fun and relaxing environ-
ment; Astrotweeps hosts a different astrono-
mer or planetary scientist each week, high-
lighting their research and life as a scientist.
Schwamb helped create and organize the
original Astronomy on Tap events in New
York City and is the co-creator of Astrot-
weeps. (See GeminiFocus, April 2017, for in-
formation on an Astronomy on Tap program
Meg initiated in Hilo, Hawai‘i.)
24
GeminiFocus
Heidi Hammel, Vice President of the Asso-
ciation of Universities for Research in As-
tronomy (AURA), and herself a winner of
the Sagan Medal in 2002, notes, “it is an ex-
ceptional honor for Meg to be recognized
so early in her career for her work in astron-
omy outreach.” The sentiment is shared by
Henry Roe, Deputy Director of Gemini Ob-
servatory, who adds that this award is only
the beginning for Meg.
Schwamb earned her PhD in Planetary Sci-
ence from the California Institute of Tech-
nology in 2011. She was a National Science
Foundation postdoctoral fellow at Yale Uni-
versity and an Academia Sinica postdoc-
toral fellow at the Academia Sinica Institute
of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Currently
Schwamb is an assistant scientist at the
Gemini Observatory at the Gemini North
telescope in Hawai‘i, where her research
focuses on the small body populations re-
siding in our Solar System and mining large
datasets for Solar System science.
July 2017